HEATHER MARLOWE (Performer/Playwright) has been on stage as an actress/performer, dancer, and musician since 2007. She has studied theater and performance with Kristin Linklater, Gabrielle Roth, and at Berkeley Repertory and American Conservatory Theater. Her work has been most recently seen at The Costume Shop at American Conservatory, Porchlight Storytelling Series, Bawdy Storytelling Series, W. Kamau Bell’s Solo Performance Workshop, Under Saint Marks, Boxcar Theatre. As a violinist and vocalist she has performed with San Francisco-based bands Thee Landlords and Winchester Revival. She is the recipient of the 2013-14 Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Grant. Heather is currently working on Girl Scout Cookies, a screenplay about a porn star on the lam who must confront her dark past after being stuck taking care of her older brother’s rebellious foster child for the summer.

INSIDE THE HAZE

In 2010, I was drugged and raped at Bay to Breakers, an annual city-wide footrace in San Francisco, California. After having a rape kit examination, the inspector told me that my rape kit would be tested within 14 days and that I would get a call with the results.

Six months passed, and I heard from no one. I called the San Francisco Police Department and was dismissed, being told, "please call and follow up every 3 months." This was unacceptable. I chose not to be ignored.

I decided to craft my experiences into a full length play, The Haze, which I workshopped for the first time in 2012, at The Phoenix Theater, San Francisco.

I moved to New York City to continue rehearsing and rewriting my play.

An woman with influence who saw my play offered to make the right calls to help move my rape kit forward. Her phone call resulted in my rape kit finally being tested after 2.33 years.

Skeptical that my rape kit just "happened" to be the only untested rape kit at San Francisco Crime Lab, I testified at the San Francisco Police Commission and they agreed to audit their Property Rooms for unprocessed rape kits.

In December 2013, The Haze performed 4 development workshops at the Boxcar Theater, San Francisco.

10 months after my testimonial at the Police Commission and with the consistent pressure of SF ABC investigative reporter, Jim O'Donnell, the San Francisco Police Department and Crime Lab release the numbers of their backlog: 753.

In September 2014, The Haze received 12 performances at The Costume Shop at American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco directed by Jean-Michele Gregory.

During this month of performances, The San Francisco Police Department agreed to begin processing their 753 rape kit backlog. Additionally, they went on record stating that there were thousands of unprocessed rape kits found but that they would be unable to process those thousands of rape kits because the statute of limitations had passed on them.

The Haze had been invited to accept an award from the City of San Francisco on October 22, 2014.